Martin steinthal



Patented Dot. l8, I898.

M. STEINTHAL.

SAMPLE DISPLAY DEVICE.

(Application filed. Dec. 10, 1897.)

(No Model.)

INVENTOR %TNESSES: L

ATTORNEYS.

1m: ucnms wzgzns co .PHUTO-UTHO. WASHINGTON, arc.

PATENT FICEt MARTIN STEINTI'IAL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAM PLE-DISPLAY DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 612,463, dated October18, 1898..

Application filed December 10, 1897- Serial No. 661,390. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARTIN STEINTHAL, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city, county, and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Samples and Display DevicesTherefor, of which the following is such a full, clear, and exactdescription as will enable any one skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in samples and devices fordisplaying samples of materials, whereby samples of materials which areordinarilydisplayed in stacks or bunches with a fastener at one endthereof may be rendered neater and may belooked over with greater easeand facility and at the same time the samples themselves may be.

better protected and made to last longer for the purpose for which theyare used. i

To these ends my invention consists in the various novel and peculiararrangements and combinations of the several parts of the devices, allas hereinafter fully described and then pointed out in the claims. I Ihave illustrated a type of my invention in the accompanying drawings,wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved sample-tray withsome of the samples shown as being held in the hand of the user as helooks them over and lets them fall back into place one by one. Fig. 2 isa view of a sample, in cross-section, showing the manner of applying thebacking thereto.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numbers of reference designatelike parts throughout, 2 is a tray of rectangular shape made after themanner of an ordinary tray with a bottom 9 and four upright sides oredges 10.

3 3 represent samples of material-such, for instance, as pieces ofOlOiJl1-'-Wl1l(3ll are cut in rectangular form of uniform sizes, so thatthey may be put up in stacks or bunches with their edges falling in thesame planes.

The tray may be of a size to easily receive a single stack of samples ormaybe elongated, so as to receive side by side more than one stack, thedrawings herein showing two such stacks, each of which is so arranged asto side of the tray, and the other three sides are left free, so thatthe samples may be taken up by the hand 4 by the other end of the stackfrom where they are fastened and may be turned over like the leaves of abook, as in} dicated in Fig. 1.

In order to enable the user to more readily get hold of the outer end ofthe stack of samples to run them over, I form the side of the trayopposite that to which the samples are fastened with a notch 5, so thatthe thumb may be easily entered therein and the samples readily pickedup. Two notches 5 are shown, one being for use with each stack ofsamples.

The samples may be secured in place by any ordinary well-known means,though in the drawings herein I show a fastening device comprising astrip 6, which extends over the side. of the tray and projects overasulficient distance upon the stack of samples to permit the ordinaryMcGill fasteners. 7 to be passed down through the strip and through eachsample outthr ugh the bottom of the tray, where they are clenched in theusual way. The clenched ends of the metallic fasteners 7.7 are concealedby a flap on the bottom -9 of the tray afterthe manner shown in myUnited States Letters Patent No. 587,881, granted August 10, 1897, towhich reference may be had in this connection.

A great drawback in handling samples of woven materials is the constantfraying or raveling of the pieces at their edges, and in addition toaffecting the neat appearance of the sample the continued action thereofquickly destroys the sample and makes it necessary for the same to berenewed, which renewal in some instances entails consider able expenseupon the person putting out the samples. In order to overcome thisobjection and, furthermore, to facilitate the ease with which thesamples may be run over by one hand, I apply to the backs of the samplesa backing-piece 8, whichl secure directly to the material by paste orlike substance, so as to secure them intimately together. Thisbacking-layer 8 may, if preferred, cover the entire under surface of thesample or it may be applied in the form of a strip around the edgesthereof, as shown herein. The striplike form of backing is preferable inuse with cloth samples for the reason that the samples are notmaterially stiffened throughout the greater portion thereof, but aremerely given a desired degree of stiffness at the edges. This backingmaybe applied to the material before the samples are cut up or afterthey have been so cut; but the former way does not necessitatesubsequent trimming down of the edges, as is likely to be the case inthe latter instance. Where the samples are very flimsy material, thebacking 8 may cover the entire back of the sample; but in any case thebacking must extend out flush with the exposed edges of the sample.

The backing 8 may be of any suitable material, and from use I recommenda thin paper somewhat stiff or a fabric like silesia. The particularqualities which are preferable in the backing material are those ofsmoothness, thinness, and slight stiffness, as the edges of the samplesare then well protected, and the ends which are manipulated by the handof the user may be run off from the thumb like the leaves of a book. Infact, in using a bunch of samples provided with my backing they may bequickly run off from the thumb by being held in the position shown inFig. 1 and without liability of running off two together, and therebymissing a sample, as is often the case where a bunch of samples havingraw unprotected edges is used.

In addition to the advantages already pointed out in connection with myimprovements the tray, with its contained samples, affords a handydevice for one looking over the samples and is neat and attractive inits appearance. The device is very compact, and

several of them can be stacked up in a comparatively small space fortransportation. The tray itself affords a housing for the stack ofsamples, the edges of which are concealed and protected by the sides ofthe tray, and in this way the samples are not only protected againstwear and mutilation, but are also protected from dust and foreignmatter, the presence of which would soil the samples and in some casesrender them unfit for use.

I have made the trays with a pasteboard bottom and wooden sides, thewhole being covered with figured cloth or linen; but of course anydesired well-known material can be used for making them and, ifpreferred, any desired inscriptions may be placed on the strip 6, whereit will be conspicuous. The tray may be made quite ornamental bycovering it with ornamented material.

Having thusdescribed my invention, what Iclaim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The combination of a set of superimposed raW-edged samples offlexible woven material, each having a layer of thin backing materialsecured directlythereto flush with the raw edge for stiffening the sameand preventing the samples from adhering to each other, whereby thesamples may be readily separated from each other in running them over,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of a tray provided with sides, one or more sets ofsuperimposed samples of flexible material, each having a layer of thinbacking material secured directly thereto for stiffening the same andpreventing the samples from adhering to each other,

whereby the samples may be readily sepa-.

rated from each other in running them over,

a fastening device at one side of said tray for attaching thereto astack of samples, the side of said tray opposite to the side where saidsamples are fastened being formed with finger-notches for gaining accessto the edges of the samples, substantially as and for the pur-

